Eli Billauer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > I haven't gotten very deep into the GNU licence, and I haven't thought > this all through.
Oh... > But I'm quite confident that if someone really wants, it's possible > to release a Linux distro with a vital component, which is closed. Well, I don't want to shatter your confidence, but may I suggest that you do two things: 1) get really deep into the "GNU license", specifically the GPL under which the kernel is released; 2) think it all through? > You don't close the source of the kernel. You close one small crucial > component of it by rewriting it. May I suggest that you do two things? Oh, wait, I have already suggested that... > This means, that every time a new kernel is released, you take its > source, make a patch, compile, and remove your own little > component's source. And distribute. > > Does this violate the GPL? Yes. > But we don't have to go as far as the kernel: You can release a link > library in closed form. That library would not be legally linkable to GPLed code. > Assume that Microsoft released some link library in closed form. Then > they released Office for this special Linux edition, and made sure > they use this special library. Now they can sell Linux like any other > operating system. No, they are not selling the OS, they are only > selling their own link library. Which means that they can take any > open distro, put their library on, and resell it, with copyright > restricted on this tiny library only. I am not sure what your point is about a library. M$, or anyone else for that matter, are free to crerate and distribute any application or library for Linux under whatever license they deem appropriate. What does it contradict? For your information, I use Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, as well as IBM Lotus Notes and all sorts of other proprietary stuff on Linux. -- Oleg Goldshmidt | [EMAIL PROTECTED] ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
